Hezbollah has said it fought Israeli troops in a border area in southern Lebanon as Israel intensified its ground offensive against the Iran-backed armed group, AFP reports.

The Lebanese group fired rockets and artillery shells “as Israeli troops tried to advance in the Mays al-Jabal area from several directions”, it said. “Clashes are ongoing.”

After midnight, Hezbollah said its fighters detonated an explosive device targeting Israeli forces and engaged in combat with them as they “attempted to infiltrate the border town of Blida” in the southeast.

In another statement, it said its fighters targeted Israeli soldiers with artillery “and rocket-propelled weapons” as they attempted to advance towards the border area of Labbouneh at 4:55am.